


To be a pirate

by Im_sailing_away



Category: Naruto, One Piece
Genre: Brothers, Crossover, Dumbass Luffy, Friendship, Gen, Marines, One Piece - Freeform, Pirates, Protective bro, Tsundere Naruto to start, how does one tag?, my boys - Freeform, naruto - Freeform, the lads - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:54:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24625072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Im_sailing_away/pseuds/Im_sailing_away
Summary: "Hiya, Mr. Pirate!" Luffy said in a cheerful tone. "You look super cool! Let me join your pirate crew!"Naruto just froze silently cursing Luffy for not listening to their Gramps' lessons on famous pirates and how to behave around them. Not that Naruto was hanging off his every word, but he knew enough to not get killed. Apparently his little brother didn't. 'We're gonna die, I won't protect my precious people, we're gonna die, we're gonna die!!!' Naruto repeated this over and over again. Then the unexpected occurred after long 30 seconds of waiting."Dahahahaha!" Red haired Shanks laughed as if it were the best joke he'd heard in a long time. "I like you kids! Come and meet my crew!"The younger of the two boys looked ecstatic but the other resisted the urge to grab his brother and run away. 'Right, Gramps said no sudden moves. It'll be best to act like innocent little kids then. Nothing's more unassuming than that.' Naruto plastered a fake smile on his face and did one of the things he was best at, acted. Acted like his life depended on it, because for all he knew, it just might.Alternatively: the tale of two dumbasses (which later turns to four)
Relationships: Akagami no Shanks | Red-Haired Shanks & Benn Beckmann, Akagami no Shanks | Red-Haired Shanks & Monkey D. Luffy, Benn Beckmann & Uzumaki Naruto, Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo (One Piece) & Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	To be a pirate

The sea was a symphony of sounds. Whether it be the waves crashing against the shore, the sound of seagulls, or cannon fire, to be a Marine you have to get used to it. One foreign sound though was a baby wailing. Vice Admiral Monkey D Garp ran across the Konoha pirates, a crew with a notorious Captain and first mate. 

The Captain was named Minato Namikaze, The Yellow Flash. He ate the Raijin Raijin no mi and was known as the fastest man alive. His first mate was named Kushina Uzumaki, The Red Hot Habanero, the Flash's wife. She was known for her blood red hair, infamous temper and her skill with a blade. Garp knew this from all the boring briefings he was forced to attend. What he wasn't made aware of in those briefings was that they had a child with the bluest eyes and the cutest little whiskers. 

Before the blond captain died from his injuries he had received in the fight, he had a request, but not a selfish one like most pirates make in their final hour. 

"Please," the Yellow Flash croaked, "please look after my baby boy, keep my little Naruto safe." After those words Minato Namikaze passed into the next life.

He looked down at the kid and he knew that he couldn't ignore the man's unselfish request. Garp couldn't leave him there or put him in one of those shitty orphanages.

'Fuck, now I'm responsible for another brat. What am I, a goddamn nanny?'

::

"Owwwwww! Gramps that hurts!" exclaimed a little raven haired boy with huge chocolate brown eyes wearing a white t-shirt and blue shorts.

"Yeah Gramps! Stop punchin' us, believe it!" a small blond yelled, adding his signature verbal tick at the end. This boy wore a muted orange t-shirt and shorts to match the raven.

"Come on brats! That was the fist of love! You need to withstand it if you want to be fine marines one day!" the old man said, ruffling the boys' hair as he did so.

It had been 7 years since the day Naruto became an orphan, 7 years since Garp decided to raise him as his own. It had been 2 years since Naruto's and Garp's biological grandson's training began. His grandson was the same age as Naruto and was named Luffy. The two boys were thrown into jungles full of vicious monkeys, tied up with hundreds of helium balloons that lifted their little bodies straight off the ground and more. But through it all the boys had each other and never gave up (believe it!).

"Alright brats, next time I see you I want you to be able to stay in the forest with the monkeys for a week, okay?" Garp told them.

"A week?!" Both boys asked incredulously.

"Yeah, now stop being wimps!" Garp said, hitting them on their heads once more. "I'm off to do some important marine business, I'll see you in three months!" The marine vice admiral yelled, getting onto his small ship.

"Bye Gramps!" Naruto yelled back, feeling a little sad that one of his precious people was sailing away. Naruto was a boy who loved to have friends and family. Unfortunately, his own mother and father were dead and Naruto didn't know the first thing about them. What he did know however was that even though he didn't have a family in the traditional sense, he still had some semblance of family. He had a Gramps who visited every three months and hit him a lot and a Luffy, a cute, talkative little brother. Naruto knew that Gramps and Luffy cared about him. Even if Gramps hit both him and Luffy, it was out of love, hence the title 'the Fist of Love'.

There was also Makino, the nice, pretty lady who took care of them when Gramps was away. She fed them, taught them manners (something neither him nor Luffy were very adept at), taught them how to read and how to write and did all of the things he guessed a mother would do. But there was something missing from his life that he couldn't figure out, especially at his early age. Naruto just didn't feel complete.

"Hey, Narutooooooo! Are you listenin'?" Luffy questioned impatiently interrupting his train of thought.

"Oh yeah, I was listenin', just uh... remind me what you were talking about again?" Naruto said while scratching his head sheepishly.

"I said to look at that huge boat coming! I think it's a pirate ship!" The raven haired boy exclaimed, bouncing up and down excitedly while pointing off into the distance.

"Ahhhhh! Luffy, Gramps said pirates are bad people!" Naruto shouted, turning to face his little brother in all but blood.

"Hmmm, he said that? Well, I think they're cool! It's a mystery! Let's go see!" And before the raven's poor brother could get a word edgewise they were off to visit the possibly vicious pirates.

Even as Luffy dragged Naruto through the town, they didn't attract much attention. Whether it was because this was a normal occurrence or if it was because a pirate ship was so close to the village, one might never know. By the time they made it to the docks though, the ship was docked and the pirates were gone.

"Pirates! Here pirate pirate piratessss!" called Luffy, as if they were timid animals.

"Luffy, the pirates aren't gonna come just because you call—" Naruto didn't finish his sentence as something or rather, someone bumped into him.

"I'm so sorry Mr...." Naruto didn't finish his sentence once more as he looked at the face of the man he bumped into. 'Damn it! I even used my manners too!' the blond thought. Why was Naruto so pissed, you ask? Because leaning over him was the intimidating face of a famous pirate. A mere foot away from the two seven year olds stood one of the pirate emperors, Red haired Shanks. 'Just my luck!'. Now all of this was going through Naruto's mind but you have to remember Luffy, the less mischievous but far more dense member of the duo. 

"Hiya, Mr. Pirate!" Luffy said in a cheerful tone. "You look super cool! Let me join your pirate crew!"

Naruto just froze silently cursing Luffy for not listening to their Gramps' lessons on famous pirates and how to behave around them. Not that Naruto was hanging off his every word, but he knew enough to not get killed. Apparently his little brother didn't. 'We're gonna die, I won't protect my precious people, we're gonna die, we're gonna die!!!' Naruto repeated this over and over again. Then the unexpected occurred after long 30 seconds of waiting.

"Dahahahaha!" Red haired Shanks laughed as if it were the best joke he'd heard in a long time. "I like you kids! Come and meet my crew!"

The younger of the two boys looked ecstatic but the other resisted the urge to grab his brother and run away. 'Right, Gramps said no sudden moves. It'll be best to act like innocent little kids then. Nothing's more unassuming than that.' Naruto plastered a fake smile on his face and did one of the things he was best at, acted. Acted like his life depended on it, because for all he knew, it just might.

As Shanks walked to the bar with two little children following behind him like ducklings, he began to compare the kids to people of his past. Luffy, happy go lucky, dense and daring reminded him of his former captain, Gol D Roger. Shanks looked over at the dark haired brat, 'This kid is either going to get himself killed early or change the world.' Shanks shook his head in nostalgia as the wind ruffled his hair. 

The blond kid on the other hand, well, Shanks couldn't get a read on him. While the black haired kid was an open book, the blond seemed more... closed off. Almost like one of his crew members before he joined... 

Sure, the blond brat acted happy with a huge grin on his face, Shanks could tell it wasn't genuine. That made him curious. Shanks stopped in front of a building called Party's Bar.

::

"Here we are kiddos! This is where you meet my crew." Shanks stated.

"Cooooooool! A real life pirate crew! Told ya they weren't bad Naruto!" Luffy cheered.

Naruto nearly face palmed for the second time that day. Was it possible for someone to be that dense? Pirates are bad! Naruto wasn't a genius but he knew that much.

'Why yes, yes it is', Naruto thought as he looked at his little brother bouncing up and down like an overexcited puppy. 'They could be luring us here to kill us! Or to hold us hostage! And Makino could be in trouble! Should I say something?' 

In the end Naruto did not voice any of his thoughts, rather, he said the exact opposite of what he was thinking, "I guess they're not, believe it!" 

Naruto walked briskly into the bar like he was excited but in reality he wanted to see if Makino was safe. He glanced at the bar and there was the green haired woman, laughing with one of the pirates! 'What? Luffy, I can understand but Makino too? Did no one listen to Gramps?' Naruto glanced back at his brother and the Emperor, 'Lu's always been a decent judge of character. Maybe... these guys aren't so bad?' The blond thought.

Naruto walked to the bar with the intention of finding out if the pirates were a threat or not. He walked to the pirate that looked the most idiotic, the kind that would surely fall for his cute kid act (or enough at least to not kill him on the spot). Naruto hopped on the stool beside a man with a funny looking cloak. It had swirls. What kind of pirate had swirls anywhere in their outfit?

"Hello sir, are you a pirate?!" Naruto shouted, trying his best to channel Luffy's cuteness and innocence.

"Yeah, brat. What's it to you?" The man responded in a way that bothered Naruto, like he was evaluating him or something.

"Well, I wanted to know what it's like, being a pirate. What kind of adventures have you been on?" Naruto asked with his head tilted, meaning to look curious.

The man in the cloak with swirls launched into a tale about a ginormous fish that could swallow whole islands. Now, Naruto wasn't sure if this tale was real or not but the man sure was one captivating story teller. 'If this guy's being nice to me, how bad can he really be?'

"Then, if you don't mind me asking Mr. Pirate, sir, what are you doing here?" The boy questioned, honestly curious about why a famous pirate crew would come to a small village in the East Blue.

"Well—" but the man was cut off by a loud, recognizable screech followed by a, "What the hell kid?!" before he could explain.

Naruto bolted to the other side of the room. Standing there, with a knife wound just below his eye was Luffy, trying to hold his tears in.

"What. The. Fuck?" Naruto growled, pushing past everyone to stand protectively in front of his baby brother. Everyone in the bar turned wide eyed to Naruto and that was when he knew, he fucked up.

'Well, there goes the cute, innocent kid act.' Naruto thought. 'If I live through this, I'll have to convince Makino to teach me how to act.' As Naruto stood in front of his brother, he couldn't quite regret his actions, even though the pirates were probably going to kill him. Maybe he did regret it a little. Dying certainly wouldn't help Luffy. Or himself...

"I like this kid!" Shouted a pirate with a large piece of meat in his hand.

"We've got a little firecracker here!" Another exclaimed.

That comment made Naruto irritated. His brother was still bleeding from a stab wound. Naruto ran behind the bar to where he knew where Makino stored the cloths. When he returned, all the pirates were laughing and drinking once more, except for Red haired Shanks and the man with the swirly cloak. The blond walked briskly back to his whimpering brother completely dropping his cutesy act, 'There's no point now so... Fuck it all!'

"Lu, it's okay to cry. You got stabbed. It's one of the times you're allowed. Gramps said so." Naruto assured his brother. With that assurance, Luffy started to bawl. 

"It," Luffy started, pausing to hiccup. "hurts even more now!"

"It's the salt from your tears! Salt makes your wounds sting but at least it disinfects your wounds a little." The man in the cloak replied helpfully. 'I should get this guy's name so the author won't have to type so much every time this man speaks.' The blond thought. 

"Hey, Lu." Naruto said, ignoring the scary pirates just a foot or so away. "Did those pirates stab you?" He asked, concerned. 

"No!" Red Haired Shanks interrupted. 

"Was I talkin' to you, pirate?" Naruto sassed.

"W-well—"

"No, I wasn't. So shut the fuck up." Naruto said in a sickly sweet tone. "So, Lu?"

"The pirates didn't stab me! That's silly!" Luffy laughed. 'It doesn't seem silly to me. It seems like somethin' that could happen. Who else could do it? Did Makino stab you? I didn't. Did you stab yoursel—'

"I stabbed myself to prove that I was tough enough to join Shanks' pirate crew!" Luffy said cheerfully, as if he no longer felt the pain (which Naruto was sure wasn't the case).

For once in his life, Naruto was speechless. Bamboozled. He stayed silent for almost a minute (new record). He couldn't think of any witty responses... "Sorry for the wait I was just growin' back brain cells." Oh wait never mind.

"While that was a good comeback, scientists are unsure if the regeneration of brain cells is even possible, let alone without multiple—" The cloaked man started.

"Blah blah blah. Science science science. Commentary. Branch out from your usual format. There's not even jokes in there!" Shanks complained. The man the comment was directed to glared at Shanks, not amused.

"Alright alright. Fun talk. Now, what really happened to you, Lu? Even you can't be that dumb." Naruto questioned his brother once more.

"It's like I said Naruto," Luffy said as he picked his nose with his pinky. "they said I was too weak to join the crew. They didn't believe me when I said my punches were like pistols." Luffy paused, to flick his booger near Shanks who dodged impressively. 

"They somehow found out I couldn't swim too!" Luffy whined. 'Did he accidentally tell someone something he was supposed to keep secret, again?' Naruto asked himself. 'Gramps said to keep your weaknesses secret, dumbass!'

"So then, I had to prove I was tough and I took this knife," He picked a bloody knife off the table, "and shoved it," he jabbed the knife in the direction of his eye, getting dangerously close before Naruto grabbed his arm to stop him. "in my face!" Luffy finished, as if he hadn't almost stabbed himself again. Naruto didn't hold the facepalm in that time. 

'What is my life?' The blond asked. 'Why can't my brother be normal?'

After Luffy's... helpful insight into what had happened, Naruto put the cloth that he had gotten under his brother's eye to stop the bleeding. He then rushed the dim witted child to the doctor's practice (he had known well where to go, what with all the injuries his clumsy, dense brother gets). A little disinfecting, a lot of whining and some stitches later and the boys were out the door.

On the way back to Makino's, Naruto vowed that he would keep those horrible influences —the pirates— away from Luffy at all costs. They took the back entrance to Party's Bar and ever since then Luffy had been trying to see the pirates. Naruto had faced mad dashes, puppy dog eyes and attempts at trickery (none of which were tricky nor successful) before he cracked. 

It was the eyes that finally got him. One can only be strong for so long. Naruto could only hold up against his younger brother for a few hours. Naruto had agreed to let Luffy see the pirates the following day so long as he shut up and stopped with 'those damn sad eyes'.

It had been a day since Naruto caved and the blond boy was stumped. 'Pirates are supposed to be mean. They're supposed to hurt people. I'm supposed to become a strong marine to protect civilians from them! So why...' Naruto started, glancing over at the bar where his brother and Shanks were, 'Why're they being so damn patient with him?! Why're they joking with him like they're friends or something?! Why... does Luffy like hanging out with them more than me?' Naruto ended sadly. He tried to keep the sadness of his face though, shifting his eyes away from Luffy turning to stare blankly at the wall once more. 

"Hey blondie!" Someone shouted. Naruto assumed that someone was speaking to him so he turned around and there was the swirly cloaked man. 

"Oh, it's you. What do you want?" Naruto said, keeping his voice even.

"I just realized that I never got a chance to introduce myself. My name's Beckman. Benn Beckman." The man now identified as Benn stated. 

Naruto snorted, "Who are you, James Bond?" 

"Who's that?" The pirate asked.

"No one important. Anyways, I guess it's rude not to introduce myself now. My name's Naruto, though you probably already knew that, with a motor mouth like Luffy around." The two looked at each other in silence for a while.

"Look kid, I know you and the crew didn't get off on the right foot but I think you'll like them once you get to know them." Benn said calmly.

"And why would I want to do that? You're all pirates. You're mean and evil and scary and—"

"But we're not really. Shanks may deny it but we don't go around doing things without a reason. We don't hurt innocents. We don't steal things from people who are really in need of it. Don't get the wrong idea, some pirates are like that, but not us. We're pirates because we want to be free." The so-called 'mean and evil' pirate explained.

Naruto looked down confused yet, completely understanding what Benn had been saying. What he just said went against everything he'd ever been taught yet, Naruto believed him. More than that he sympathized with the pirate. He wanted to be free and so did Naruto. That tugging, every time he looked at the sea, that was his desire for freedom. 

"And why would you like to get to know us?" Naruto's head snapped up as Benn kept talking, like one revelation wasn't enough. "Kid, I know those eyes. I used to stare back at them every time I looked in a mirror. That was a time where I needed a friend, someone to care about me. I got a whole crew's full. You need more people to care about you. I know what it's like, being lonely so give us a chance, okay?" With that, Beckmann turned back towards the bar, seeking out his captain, leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts.

::

"Urghhhhh!" Naruto screamed at he kicked a large boulder with all the strength his little body could muster. 

After Benn left, he felt so confused. His whole life he had been taught that pirates were bad and dangerous. He was taught that they needed to be stopped at all costs. And yet... they were so nice to Luffy. 

Naruto wanted to have fun with them just like he did. He didn't want to be alone while Lu had fun with them! He always wanted to have more friends and now he could!

'But they're pirates.' He thought bitterly.

Naruto needed to gather his thoughts. So he ran. Away from his brother who was still talking to Shanks, away from the mean pirates (who he wasn't sure were so mean after all) and away from Foosha village.

The blond ran and ran until he reached the edge of the forest, panting. Now there he was, taking his frustrations out on a rock. Kicking it with all his strength, even though his feet were hurting. Gramps had told him so many stories of bad pirates who did awful things... Were pirates good or bad? Were the pirates tricking him? Did Gramps... lie? 

The boy shook his head really fast. 'No, Gramps would never lie to me.' He thought, adamant.

Naruto slumped against a tree. He didn't understand. He sat there for a while, exhausted. The sun started to set and the boy realized he best be getting back so Makino didn't worry. He would think about all of the big stuff the next day.

Naruto got home and ignored Luffy's insistent shouts that he had something 'super cool' to show him. The blue-eyed boy ran into his room and jumped in his small bed. He was so sleepy. 'Yeah, I'll think about the big stuff tomorrow.'

::

Naruto had slept in. His run through the village had really worn him out. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he stretched his arms over his head and yawned groggily. He walked over to his small navy blue dresser that could hardly fit in his small, closet-like room. Then, he heard gunshots.

Naruto quickly got his clothes, put them on and ran out the door, hoping to Kami that his instincts were wrong. His instincts that his brother was in the thick of whatever was going on outside.

Naruto continued to sprint, ignoring the burning in his legs and lungs. Over the past few days he had begun to realize how awful running was. It made him feel awful. And some people actually enjoy it. Makino went for runs sometimes. For fun. Not because she thought a raven haired dimwit was in trouble, but for fun. 

'I will never ever run for fun!' Naruto thought. He now had a mental list of things he would never do. 'Maybe I should write all of them down? So I don't forget... Wait! I have more important things to think about!' The blond recognized his wandering thoughts and gave himself a quick slap in the face. He tended to get distracted by the most trivial things at the most crucial moments. 'Focus. Lu. Could be dying. Gunshot.' This certainly got the boy running faster.

It wasn't long before he reached the pier, not the sound where the gunshot had come from, but where all kinds of commotion was going on. Trouble involving Luffy moved fast so Naruto didn't bother to go to the place he had heard the gunshot. All he had to do was follow the people panicking. Or the yellow brick road. So that's what he did (the panicking, not the yellow brick road). 

There must have been half the village, gathered in front of the tiny pier along the coast. Naruto jumped, hoping to see above the heads of the crowd of adults but, no dice. He could not see anything. Naruto closed his eyes in frustration. 'I've gotta see what's going onnnnn. My brother senses are tingling like crazy!' He opened his eyes, still feeling angry when he realized everything around him went silent. His surroundings blurred to nothing. Then, clear as day he saw his brother, his only friend in the whole world, on a small raft-like boat, being held hostage by an ugly man covered in filth. 

"Lu!" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs, startling most of the crowd. He felt a blaze of determination and aggressively pushed his way through the front of the gaggle of villagers, just in time to see something that would turn his world upside down. 

He saw Red haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, rescue his most precious person, getting his arm bitten off in the process by 'The Lord of the Coast' and not be fazed at all.

If that wasn't enough, the man looked up, glared menacingly at the monster that had just eAteN his arm and said, "Get lost."

Red hair didn't need to yell or even move, with just those two words, the creature swam away faster than Luffy could steal meat off your plate.

'So badass!' Naruto thought, eyes in the shape of stars, sparkling brightly.

As Luffy and Shanks made their way back to shore all Naruto could think about was how cool Shanks had been. Naruto replayed the moment when he glared at the sea king over and over again in his head, wanting to keep it ingrained in his memory. 

In that moment, when the pirate emperor glared at the Lord of the Coast, he was everything Naruto had ever wanted to be. Shanks was powerful, strong-willed, brave and could protect his friend. He was in absolute awe of Shanks.

Until said pirate got back to shore and walked over to Naruto, placed a wet hand on his head and ruffled his hair. It wasn't even his hair being ruffled that irked Naruto so much. No. It was the fact that Shanks had just gotten his arm bitten off and wasn't immediately going to the doctor. Blood was oozing out of the wound and the boy was pretty sure he saw bone. Naruto was about to say something but he was interrupted by Shanks.

"Listen blondie, I know you haven't wanted to talk to us because we're pirates but kid, you need some friends. This is what having friends is all about. They've got your back and you've got theirs. If someone is talking sh-" Shanks winced "sorry, crap, behind your back, they'll stand up for you. If you're ever drowning they'll save you. You don't have to only save other people. Let yourself be saved, okay?"

Those words really struck a chord with the child. Shanks knew what he was doing, searching frantically for Luffy, trying to save him. It was almost like he knew about all those times in training when Gramps told him to stop fussing over his brother and start worrying about himself. Let yourself be saved... Those were words that Naruto would remember for the rest of his life. Along with the ones that followed.

"Shanks you bastard! You're bleeding everywhere! You just got your arm bitten off! Stop playing the hero and get some fucking medical treatment!" Benn Beckman yelled, grabbing his Captain's ear and dragging him off to the village's doctor. "If you die, I'll have to be in charge of the crew. They're a mess and won't listen to anyone but you! No one..." Benn became inaudible as he and Shanks walked briskly off into the distance.

Naruto watched them a little longer before walking towards his younger brother, ready to lightly scold him and then tell him pirates weren't so bad. When Naruto came close enough all he could see was Luffy fidgeting; spinning his index finger around, and around and around and–

That was all the trauma the blond could deal with for the day, the straw that broke the camel's back. Naruto turned white as a sheet and passed out.

A few months passed and Naruto became comfortable with the crew, after he flipped his shit about them allowing his little brother to eat a devil fruit of course. Once the blond got passed his reservations about the pirates they found he was a social butterfly. He was close to many on the crew but he really forged a bond with Shanks' first mate, Benn. They talked about their stupid responsibilities (Shanks and Luffy) and how they wished they could let loose every once in a while. They swapped stories about interesting things that Shanks and Luffy had done in the past... they were basically middle-aged white moms, minus the wine. Instead, they would drink grape juice.

At the back of his mind though, Naruto wondered when his new friends would leave him, because Shanks was a pirate emperor and they didn't stay away from the Grand Line for long (or at least, that's what Gramps said). Shanks, Benn, Lucky Roo, Yasopp and everyone else would leave him, just like his parents did, just like Gramps always did. But that was okay. He would enjoy the time they spent together and not dwell on their leaving.

Unfortunately, the day finally came, the pirates had to go back to the Grand Line. Everyone was at the docks, bidding the pirates farewell.

Benn walked up beside Naruto and the two watched Shanks and Luffy say their tearful goodbyes. "You keep that kid outta trouble ya hear?" Benn said, breaking the peaceful silence between them.

"You got it old man." Naruto replied, turning away so the pirate would see his eyes start to water.

"I'm counting on you kid. You get strong and protect those precious people." The first mate draped his signature blue coat over the blond's shoulders.

"Of course I will! Who do you think I am?! And what with this coat anyways? It's ugly and way too big!" Naruto replied, turning back to face Benn.

"Don't you worry kid, you'll grow into it..." And those were the last words the smartest pirate in all the Blues spoke to the small blue eyed boy for years. He headed back to the ship, dragging his captain away from the other brat, one he'd given his hat (and legacy) to. 

As they sailed off, watching Luffy wave frantically at the docks and Naruto, looking exasperated at his side, the Captain and First mate exchanged a glance, both conveying their thoughts without saying a word, 'These kids will do great things one day.'

And if Naruto wore that ugly coat everyday for decades, even as it grew tattered and faded, who's to say he was being sentimental?

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like this chapter/mini arc! Feel free to leave constructive criticism... or you can just praise me


End file.
